A/N: Yes, the rumors were correct – I AM still alive and kicking, somewhat at least. (grins) I'm so sorry about the inexcusable delay! I've just been incredibly busy and stressed out lately (NOT because of stuff, just so you know), and there was a project I had to finish. (winces) But now I'm FINALLY back on track. (rubs hands together)
Before letting get to the real deal, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those heart warming reviews! (HUGS) You can't even imagine how great help you've been. Kiitos!
Awkay, before you'll start throwing things… Here it is, AT LAST – chapter four! I really hope it was worth the wait.
/ One Week Later. /
Tsunade had been a psychiatrist for almost thirty years already. That's why she could immediately tell patients who were willing to accept help from those who'd keep miles of distance.
Sasuke Uchiha was without a doubt the most challenging case she'd ever met during her career. After several years of extremely hard work she had, however, started to sneak through his barriers. That was until something that was still a mystery to her had happened seven months earlier. Today – two weeks before the anniversary – the raven seemed even more closed up than he'd been when they'd first met.
She sighed inwardly when going through his files, sounds of papers being the only ones that punctured the heavy silence drifting in the room. " According to these notes you've lost weight, and you haven't agreed to go through weighing recently. You also haven't allowed the planned blood tests to be taken." She looked towards him, but didn't manage to catch his eyes. " Sasuke, what's going on?"
His response and expression were exactly the same as they'd been when they'd met for the first time, back when he'd been ten. " How much longer is this session going to take?"
That was the final confirmation she needed. It took her all to keep sadness from showing in her eyes. " You've fallen back into your old habits, haven't you?" She ran a hand through her hair, and waited for a beat before going on. " Sasuke… You need to process those things eventually. You do know that, right?" No matter how frustrated she was, her eyes turned slightly softer. " I know it hurts, but you have to let yourself heal. Living like this won't get you anywhere."
Sasuke jolted as though she'd just punched him. " I do process all that, every fucking night and every time I close my eyes", he all but snarled, voice shuddering against his will. " Unless you can give me something that'd make those flashes stop, there's nothing you can do for me. These interrogation sessions won't change that fact." The boy took a sharp breath, looking towards some indefinable spot on the distant horizon. " I'll let you know when I'm ready to let you into my head, but today isn't the day."
She frowned. " What are you so afraid of?"
The boy didn't meet her gaze, instead balled his fists so hard that knuckles turned white and grit teeth. Onyx eyes kept looking away, clearly seeing something she couldn't.
She suppressed a sigh, making notes. " I want to see you tomorrow, okay? It's time to move back to the more intensive therapy."
She almost shivered when meeting Sasuke's eyes. They weren't venomous or filled with hatred, no. Instead they were horrendously blank, as though the soul behind them had been gone. " Can I go now?"
She sighed out loud this time, feeling more defeated than ever in her life. " Yes."
While she watched him go like an animal escaping from a deathtrap, she couldn't help feeling that he was slipping away from her reach. And all she could do was wish that there was someone who'd be able to get all the way to Sasuke's scars before it'd be too late…
CHAPTER 4: What Happens Next?
Yes, it was a well known fact amongst everyone who knew him that Naruto hated doctors beyond all reason. That's why he was fidgeting on his seat while waiting for Tsunade to call him in.
He gave a glance towards Kakashi, who was standing beside him, reading a book of some sort. " You're here to make sure I won't chicken out, aren't you?" he suspected out loud.
The man seemed mildly amused for just a moment. " You seem to know me pretty well already." The older then glanced towards him, eyes seeming almost evaluating. " How are you holding up?"
It took his all to not snort. " So well that if you wouldn't be there I would've sprinted off five minutes ago."
Kakashi seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but never got the chance to before the door nearby was opened. Naruto blinked twice when finding Sasuke emerging. " Are you seeing the shrink, too?" he blurted out.
The raven scoffed. " Not exactly out of my choice."
Kakashi's eyes were hard and nearly pleading when the man looked at the raven. " How did it go?"
Sasuke's eyes flashed. " Just as splendidly as expected." The boy then started to leave, seeming just as anxious as an animal trapped into a cage. " I need some fresh air."
Naruto knew full well that it was none of his business, but at that moment he just had to voice what was on his tongue. " Hey, teme." The boy didn't turn around but stopped, signaling him to go on. " You're okay, right?"
The Uchiha's shoulders moved just a little. It took a while before there was a response. " Just focus on yourself, deadlast." With that the raven walked away.
Naruto emitted a growl, an inch from rolling his eyes. " That stuck up bastard…"
He was interrupted when Kakashi ruffled his hair roughly. He glanced towards the man with confusion. " What was that for?"
The silver haired smiled wistfully. " You'll understand soon enough."
He would've wanted to ask for an explanation, but the decision was out of his hands. For at the exact same moment when his mouth opened, the door Sasuke had just walked through opened and he found a woman with blonde hair and warm eyes. " You're Naruto, right?" She motioned for him to step forth. " Why don't you come in so we can have a little chat?"
-
Naruto realized that as comfortable as the huge armchair he'd been guided into was, he was fidgeting while Tsunade scanned through his papers.
" You can stop looking so scared, you know?" the woman pointed out, not glancing his way. " This may feel unpleasant at first, but I'm not going to hurt you."
He nodded slowly, daring to relax a bit. " 'K."
For just a couple of more moments Tsunade went through his papers until looking back up at him. " So… Have you liked it here so far? I hope this zoo hasn't given you a hard time."
He surprised himself with grinning lightly. Maybe this won't be so bad after all… " Yeah, it's been great – well, when it comes to everything but Sasuke-teme." All of a sudden his expression fell when a sudden realization came. " I… wouldn't want to leave."
Something seemed to cross Tsunade's eyes, although it might've been his imagination. " Why's that?"
He changed his position several times, feeling extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. Instead of Tsunade, he locked his eyes to a dust ball running across the floor below him. " It's all in those papers, right?" He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to even think about it, when the wounds were much too raw and sore. It felt like his heart had been poked and nausea became almost too much to take every time those painful words crossed his head.
Those brutal nicknames, kicks and punches, all the loneliness, isolation and disparaging…
/ " Thing, touch me ever again and the next one hurts more. Understood?" /
/ Only his pride kept him from crying when a merciless kick was aimed at his side, and he could actually feel ribs breaking. /
/ He could still remember how his heart had shattered to pieces when Kabuto walked away the last time they had a proper conversation. " I never told you to trust me, did I?" /
Like trying to control it hadn't been enough, he thought somewhat bitterly, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit.
" They gave you a very hard time, didn't they?"
Tsunade's voice was so sympathetic that he dared to look at the woman. As soon as his eyes met hers, however, he created a feeble grin to keep her from seeing how much his chest hurt at the moment. " I'd rather not talk about it."
" Naruto." The woman's gaze was soft and stony at the same time. " I know you've been through a lot, with your illness and everything else. But I can also already tell that you're one of the strongest people I've ever met – dealing with schizophrenia and all those despicable people must've been unbearably hard. And you also haven't lost your faith in people, which is a great thing. This is a good start."
He felt like a five-year-old when looking at the woman, desperate hope most likely radiating from his eyes. " Really?"
Tsunade smiled, which – he could tell with just one glance – wasn't something you saw everyday. " Yeah. And there's no need to move forward any faster than you're ready to."
It was the first time he cried in ages, and for no apparent reason at all. (Maybe it was stress, relief and about million other things mingling together and becoming too much.) And he realized that it felt like a ton's weight had been lifted from his shoulders when they quaked. It was also the first time since Iruka had saved him from an orphanage he dared to feel cautiously optimistic.
It was sad (or perhaps fortunate) that he didn't know what Tsunade did when the woman handed him a box of tissues with a somewhat soft expression.
This was only just the beginning.
It was extremely rare that Kakashi's cell phone would ring, and when it did the news were never good. That slowly falling night was no exception.
He was barely coherent enough to press a single button, let alone speak. " Hmmh?"
He woke up quite rapidly to sounds of heart breaking sobs. " K-Kakashi, I… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry… You were right."
He was fully awake when lifting himself into a sitting position. " Mrs. Yamanaka? Is something wrong with Ino?"
" She… My baby, she…" The woman composed herself for several agonizing seconds. " She's in a hospital, and the doctors, they… They don't know…" She trailed off.
His response came without a beat's doubt. " I'll be there as soon as possible."
Yamato was also very much awake beside him when he hung up. " What's going on?"
He swallowed thickly and sighed before responding. " I'll better go to Kyoto. Ino's in a hospital."
Yamato's eyes grew a little. " What happened?"
He shook his head, struggling out of the bed's inviting warmth. " I'll better get going. Her mother was hysterical – there's no telling what'll happen next."
The brunette nodded his agreement. " I'll take care of the kids with Tsunade, and Sakura – that girl doesn't have to go through this again. You should take Shikamaru with you."
Had the situation been another, he might've smirked a bit. " I doubt he'd let me leave without him when finding out about this", he commented while packing up lightly and hastily. Before heading out, he came to think of something and walked up to Yamato, pressing a gentle kiss to the man's lips. " I'll keep you posted."
" I know." He could feel Yamato's eyes on his back while he started to walk away. " I love you."
He quaked visibly, an extremely nasty déjà vu striking him with full force. That day, he'd been the one in the brunette's place…
It was a miracle he managed to respond. " 'Love you, too." Without saying anything more or daring to glance backwards he left.
Outside the room he took a deep breath to calm himself.
It was time to focus on Ino. He could wrestle with shadows and monsters of past some other day.
Ino groaned when waking up slowly, her head protesting violently against awareness.
" Aa, so you're finally awake." Quite slowly, she opened her eyes halfway to meet a dark haired nurse. The woman smiled at her. " We were getting a little worried about you."
She frowned, her head too fuzzy to catch on. " What…?"
The nurse's expression hardened slightly. " You drank quite a bit and also took some pills, but you're fine now. And so is your baby."
For just a moment the entire world stilled and she had a sinking feeling when those words seeped through surface.
Pregnant…?
Her eyes widened to a dramatic size. " W-What…?"
The nurse's eyes grew huge as well. " You… didn't know? I'm so sorry, but seeing as you're already three months along…!"
She inhaled deep breaths, desperately trying to get some sense into things and make her head stop spinning.
" That boy – Kabuto – who brought you in… Is he the father? Because he keeps asking to get to see you." The nurse's eyes were filled with sympathy. " Would you like me to call him in?"
She shook her head frantically and buried her face into both hands. " Don't let him in." The words came long before she could process them. " Please, don't let him in. Please."
" Okay." The nurse laid a comforting hand to her shoulder. " I'll come back in two minutes, okay? Is there anything you'd want?"
She shook her head, still not daring to remove her hands from her face.
She didn't hear the nurse leaving, didn't sense being left alone. All she could make out was the screaming inside her head.
About five seconds after the door had been closed she emitted a loud, earsplitting shriek.
Night had already fallen and Neji had headed for one of his forbidden adventures when Naruto came to a conclusion that there was something wrong with how restless his mind was. It was almost like he'd sensed something huge approaching.
In the end he found himself approaching one of the stables, and frowned when seeing a beam of light.
What's going on? Isn't everyone supposed to be asleep already?
Yet again giving in to his curiosity he entered the building, following light. While walking he noticed that most of the horses were moving around restlessly, without a doubt knowing that something was wrong.
Once he reached his destination, he wasn't able to keep himself from blinking with shock. For there, fallen to his knees onto the floor of a stall, Sasuke was taking care of a heavily pregnant horse and whispering when the animal gave sounds of discomfort while laying down.
It took a moment before he found his voice. " What's going on?"
Sasuke shuddered barely visibly – clearly not having heard him coming – then spoke without looking at him. " Taiseki is foaling." It could've been his imagination, but he mused that the boy's voice sounded strange. " I didn't dare to leave her alone, and Yamato wouldn't know what to do even if I'd wake him up."
Naruto could tell his eyes were wide with shock.
' She', no longer 'it'. And he could see several emotions dancing in Sasuke's eyes, the raven having no control over them at the moment.
He couldn't help wondering if anyone else had seen this side of the Uchiha.
His eyebrows furrowed once most of the shock faded, and a cold shiver of sadness crossed him when he looked at the clearly agitated animal. " Have you called a vet?"
Sasuke emitted a sound of amusement. " Dobe, it's one in the morning. Our vet – Hana – is visiting her family, and no one else would come here at this hour. It's just us."
Feeling somewhat defeated he fell to the Uchiha's side, landing closer than he'd first indented. " Can we help?"
" She's in a lot of pain", Sasuke explained, onyx eyes never leaving the distraught animal. " But right now… We can't do much more than wait."
He frowned and almost outstretched a hand towards the horse, but changed his mind at the last moment. " Do you think she'll be okay?"
Sasuke waited for a long time before responding, and when he did the boy didn't glance his way. " Hn."
Despite the rather solemn situation, he found himself yawning all of a sudden. He wasn't all that surprised; he hadn't had any sleep that night, and he'd been up for most of the night before because of stupid nightmares.
Sasuke, of course, noticed his exhaustion. " Dobe, you can barely sit upright. Just go to sleep, will you?"
He frowned and yawned again. " 'Bout Taiseki?"
The Uchiha seemed to come close to rolling his eyes. " I doubt anything will happen for a long time. If something goes wrong, I'll wake you up. So sleep."
He tried to struggle, but in his current state didn't have enough will and strength. In a matter of moments his eyes started to droop. The last sight he caught was that of Sasuke stroking Taiseki's fur absentmindedly and staring at something in distance his eyes didn't catch.
While sliding steadily towards oblivion, he found himself wondering what the fluttering feeling in his chest was when he looked at the raven.
Neji had long ago lost track on how many times he'd sneaked through Gaara's window in a local orphanage. And, he decided easily, the amount of times passed didn't matter at all, not with what he was holding in his arms.
He'd always loved the scent of Gaara's hair – he would've never told it to the redhead, of course, but it reminded him of exotic desert flowers and night. Nothing else in the entire world could've made him feel more safe and content.
He shivered with pleasure when feeling a soft kiss being placed to his neck. " What are you thinking about?" Gaara inquired.
He responded with kissing the boy's slightly swollen lips gently, and hoped from the bottom of his heart that he would've had it in him to utter what he would've wanted to. Based on how Gaara returned his gesture and held him close, though, the boy seemed to understand.
Feeling gutsier than usually for some reason, he dared himself to deepen the kiss, and went as far as biting the other boy's lip gently.
He welcomed the tiny, rare chuckle that erupted from the redhead. " Are you really ready for the second round?"
His comeback left no room for doubt.
-
What they didn't know, was that they were being observed by very unwanted eyes…
For as long as he could remember, Haku had loved rain. Back when he'd been a child – scared and abandoned by everyone – even during the darkest of days rain had brought him comfort. It also reminded him of him. It'd been pouring rain when they'd first met, and water had fallen even harder the day he died. Water still soothed him (after all it'd been his element), although it also held painful memories. Whenever heavy drops hit puddles, it felt like he wasn't alone in the world anymore.
He could smell and feel a thunderstorm approaching while inhaling fresh air that hit his face now that he'd opened up one of the long hallway's windows. What felt like electricity tingled on his skin while he closed his eyes and waited.
He didn't know for how long he'd been standing there before he became aware of the feeling that he wasn't alone anymore. Slowly and with some reluctance he opened his eyes and turned his gaze to find Hinata standing quite nearby. The girl's pale eyes were wide with terror while she stared at the window he'd opened.
He frowned lightly. " What's wrong?" He then clicked. " You don't like storms, do you?"
The girl shook her head, then stunned them both with speaking a full sentence. " I can never sleep when there's a storm coming."
For some moments all he managed to do was stand there and look at her, surprise flooding over. He couldn't believe the girl before him was the same who spoke for the first time in years only a week ago.
Quite soon he woke up from his stunned state, and came to a decision. Hinata granted him a look of distrust when he walked up to her and outstretched a hand. He smiled. " It's alright – I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."
Hinata hesitated for quite a while, then – very slowly – accepted his hand. They took every step as carefully as humanly possible, finally making it to the window and getting used to the constantly loudening, distant rumble outside.
They stood in silence for almost an hour – both shivering when the hallway became cold with a breeze from outside filling it – and the entire time he held Hinata's quivering hand, giving it a tiny, pretty unnoticeable squeeze every time she jumped until she became perfectly still, only slight tremble remaining.
He almost smiled when looking towards her mildly paled face to find a very concentrated expression. " It's not too bad, is it?"
For quite a while she remained unmoving, until she did something so unexpected that they both had to swallow gasps of shock. On the spur of the moment she rose to her tiptoes and planted a tiny, extremely chaste kiss to his cheek, then retreated as though nothing had ever happened. Crimson blush could be soon upon both their faces while they kept looking at the constantly darkening weather and listened to rain falling.
Haku didn't have any idea of how right he'd been when predicting storm. For quite soon it did arrive – in far more ways than one…
For some reason he didn't comprehend, Yamato couldn't find rest, hadn't been able to since Kakashi had walked through the door of their bedroom.
Once darkness had fallen it'd seemed like everyone was in one piece; what now Sakura had been worried about Ino although the pinkette hadn't admitted it, Neji had gone to his usual stroll and Naruto was in a stable with Sasuke. That's when he'd decided that he'd end up driving himself insane if he didn't get some rest. So far he'd had no such luxury.
Yet again returning to the room he usually shared with Kakashi, he found his gaze locking to something he hadn't noticed before and frowned. The metallic box he'd found not too long ago – the one that'd been filled with mysterious, unopened letters – was in its usual place in a closet, but now it was open. One letter the silver haired man had clearly forgotten lay on top of it, text upwards and easy to read.
He knew he was doing something very, very wrong, that he'd get his hands burned, one way or another, for touching what wasn't his. But he couldn't control himself for even another second – it felt like a sign of some sort had been given to him.
His first intention was to simply put the letter back to where it belonged, but quite soon his eyes strayed to the words written on a plain, white sheet of paper. What he found felt like a punch straight at his face.
It's been so long that sometimes I wonder if you've forgotten about me. I doubt it, though; if for nothing else, you'll always remember me by how much pain and confusion I brought on you.
I should've listened to you when you tried to tell me everything that was in your heart, but I was scared and confused. I did the stupidest thing in my entire life that day.
If it gives you any consolation, I still haven't forgiven myself.
He felt sick to his stomach for some reason, but went on anyhow. In exactly sixty-four seconds he hoped dearly he hadn't.
It was just a drunken mistake, but apparently that was all it took to destroy everything. I threw our friendship away, just because I was too scared to see that you weren't lying. That the words you told me weren't those empty ones you gave to all your conquests.
Kakashi, I know I was an idiot, but it's been seven years. Can't you forgive me already?
Seven years…
Yamato's eyes changed dramatically when sweeping over the date on top of the letter, gaining a glazed look and starting to sting.
He remembered that night, too, perfectly. That was when Kakashi had first appeared to the door of his dorm room. That was the first time they'd…
So that was how their relationship started…
What I did was a huge mistake, but I hope from the bottom of my heart that you'll be able to forgive me someday. You were my best friend – it'd be unbearable to lose you because of something like this.
I'm more sorry than you could ever imagine. And I wish you actually opened my letter this time around. If you want to talk, you know where to call.
I miss you.
Iruka
For a very long time he simply stared at the letter, unable to do as much as breathe. It felt like there'd been ice instead of warm blood in his veins.
Naruto's eyes were bleary when he woke up to the pale light of the next morning, not entirely sure of where he was at first. When world finally cleared out, a huge grin spread to his face.
Apparently the foal and its mother had really made it through the harsh night, for they were both resting on the stall's floor, looking extremely adorable when bathing in sunlight. That sight, however, wasn't what got to him the most. For there, well nearby the horses and some blood from the animals staining his clothes, Sasuke had fallen into a slumber. The raven was shivering noticeably.
So the teme was stupid enough to forget to dress warmly…
At that moment, he couldn't hold himself back for another second. Tentatively – not daring to even think what'd happen if the Uchiha should wake up – he wrapped one arm around Sasuke, pulling the shivering teen slightly closer. He expected the raven to struggle violently even in his current condition. That's why he was beyond stunned when instead the boy leaned slightly closer with a barely audible sigh – clearly utterly drained – and rested his head against his shoulder.
It took his all to not chuckle, and something warm shuddered to life in his chest and stomach.
No one would ever believe me if I'd tell them about this.
He yawned softly, just then realizing how tired he still was.
Oh, what the heck? Just a couple of more minutes…
Quite soon they were sleeping there together, with the very amused horses casting knowing glances their way.
Kakashi's eyes were barely open while he dragged himself through the hallways of a hospital, every cell in his being begging for rest.
He'd been awake for almost two days straight already! So why couldn't he sleep, even now that he knew Ino would be okay?
He wasn't brought out of those thoughts until he heard a female voice. " Hey, stop it! I may be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I'd be made of glass."
The next voice – male's – was so familiar that his heart almost stilled. " I know, 'Zune. I'm just so excited. What if the treatments finally worked and we'll get a sibling for Naruto?"
A lot more was spoken, but he heard none of it, for all his focus was locked to a man walking painfully nearby.
Same brown hair and eyes, same smile… Iruka Umino hadn't changed the slightest during all the years they'd spent apart (or so he thought from a brief glance). It was as though no time had passed at all.
And that familiarity, this sudden closeness, was too much for him.
-
When Iruka's frown shadowed gaze swept towards his direction a moment later, he was long gone.
It took all Shikamaru's courage, but in the end he did manage to open the door of Ino's hospital room that morning.
He was by no means someone who had excellent skills when it came to reading people. He was, however, definitely intelligent enough to realize that there was something wrong with how pale Ino was and how badly the girl shuddered.
No matter how worked up and even scared she was, the blonde created a skilful smile when hearing his presence and looking towards him. (He found himself wondering how many times she'd done he same trick when she'd still been a model.) " Hey. I wasn't expecting you to show up."
His eyes narrowed just a little. Some anger appeared into his system when he understood that this was how little the girl trusted him. " Ino, what's wrong?" he demanded while all but slumping to a chair beside her bed.
Truthfully, he would've never expected Ino to actually answer, and for a while she was clearly preparing herself for a pathetic lie. Then, like breaking through a damn, words came. " What's wrong?" she spat. " You're asking me what's wrong? Well, for starters, my father died. Then some freak shot my boyfriend, and now I'm knocked up! And to make things even more hilarious I'm stuck with a guy I barely know! That's what's wrong!"
He felt like he'd been kicked straight in the gut, hard, and he was fairly sure he even gasped while his eyes widened for a moment.
Pregnant…?!
Ino's eyes were also widened by shock when she looked at him, quite obviously just then realizing what she'd said. " You're not going to tell… anyone, are you? Because if you do…"
He gasped pathetically before managing to utter. " I won't." He then blinked, desperate to get his usually sharp head back onto track. " So… What… are you going to do?"
He'd never seen Ino as vulnerable as she was when squeezing her blanket with desperate force, her eyes carrying a somewhat pleading look. " My mom's going to kill me when she finds out." She swallowed so that he could hear it. " Do you think Kakashi and Yamato will accept me back into Konoha?"
He'd never been good at comforting people. That's why it took a while before he found words. " Yeah, sure." Feeling a desperate need to flee the scene like some coward, he bounced up from his seat so fast that his head spun and started to sprint off. " I've… gotta go to the cafeteria. I need caffeine. I'll check up on you later." And so, with the worst excuse in the history of mankind, he was gone, all but gasping under the painful weight that'd appeared to his chest.
Gaara opened his eyes slowly while waking up, not quite sure if he wanted to become aware of this reality.
This was the most painful part of his forbidden meetings with Neji – the mornings when he woke up just as alone as he'd been for his entire life.
Or perhaps he would've wanted to be alone that particular morning, because the voice he heard definitely wasn't such he would've wanted to meet. " So you decided to wake up? Good. I was getting bored."
His eyes opened fully when he bolted into a sitting position, then narrowed at the person sitting in a chair nearby, skimming through one of his books. " What the hell are you doing in my room?"
Zaku Abumi's eyes flashed dangerously. " I wouldn't talk like that to a guy who could easily get you kicked out of this place or worse if you don't play nicely. Not to mention how much trouble I could get your little playmate into."
He frowned, some cold shivers crossing his form. " What are you talking about?"
Just one glance revealed how much Zaku enjoyed the situation. " I happened to meet your little… visitor last night." The boy kept a long, savoring pause. " In all honesty, I would've never thought you to be that type."
For just a moment he thought about giving in to his urges and killing the boy right there. He restrained himself with several slightly ragged breaths. " What are you expecting me to do?"
The answer came after only a couple of seconds. " Pull him close, then smash his heart into tiny pieces. Break him beyond repair." Zaku looked at him directly into eyes. " Do that, or it'll be all over – for both of you."
He found himself shivering under rage that didn't compare to anything he would've felt before. " Why are you doing this?"
Zaku shrugged. " I've got my reasons. Now…" The boy rubbed his hands together. " Do we have a deal or not?"
He snorted, feeling like vomiting. " Do I have any fucking choice?"
Sun had already started its steady way up in the sky when Sasuke and Naruto finally entered the mansion.
Sasuke certainly didn't get worked up easily, but that was what he was that morning. The night before… It definitely wasn't something that should've happened, and he hadn't been prepared for such a thing. The most disturbing thing was that he wasn't entirely sure of what had happened.
Naruto's voice barely managed to reach him. " Do you think those horses will be okay?"
He nodded, fighting the urge to yawn for the sake of his dignity. " They're both strong and healthy. They should be just fine."
Naruto stretched, appearing very relieved. " That's good." The boy hesitated for quite a while before uttering the about last words they would've expected. " Hey, teme… Thanks, for letting me be there."
He gave a 'Hn' at the exact same moment they appeared to a long hallway.
Almost as though working on instinct his eyes narrowed while he looked at the boy just before their roads would've parted. " One more thing, dobe." He went on as soon as the blonde looked at him. " If anyone finds out about last night, I'll put you through a punishment you couldn't have imagined even in your worst nightmares. Understood?"
He was almost surprised by how little the other was affected by his tone. Naruto rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, teme." Every single one of his muscles tensed up when the blonde outstretched a hand, ruffling his hair. " Now get some sleep, will you? You look like hell."
He snorted. " Idiot." His voice, however, wasn't as sharp as he would've wanted it to be.
While he watched Naruto's retreating back, heard the boy's incredibly innocent laughter, he couldn't keep himself from sinking into his thoughts.
Eventually he was coherent enough to look down, and blinked once with surprise. No matter how tightly his fists were balled, they hadn't moved an inch towards the blonde when the boy had touched him. Instead they were shivering uncontrollably, as though he'd been terrified or anxious to do something.
He frowned.
What the hell is that idiot doing to me?
" Sasuke?" Extremely uncharacteristically he almost jumped when hearing Sakura's voice. The girl's eyebrows were furrowed when she looked at him. (Quite absentmindedly, he noted that she looked like she hadn't slept a wink the night before.) " I just heard Naruto's voice. What's going on?"
" Nothing." His voice was tenser than he'd indented while he turned sharply, heading towards the nearest door. " You've pleaded me to show you the new foal as soon as it's born. So are you coming or what?"
While walking, he came to a solemn conclusion.
He was extremely relieved that almost two weeks had already passed. Because the rest of the two months Naruto would spend in Konoha were turning out to be unbearable and dangerous.
-
While watching the raven go, Sakura shook her head. " And you call him a dobe…", she muttered inaudibly before starting to follow.
Once back in the safety of his room, Naruto slumped heavily to his bed with a frown. He couldn't understand what the heat spiraling underneath his skin was. More out of curiosity than anything else he lay a hand to his chest, and his presumption was confirmed. His heart was jumping far faster than it should've.
What the hell did that teme do to me?!
" Are you okay?"
Not having registered Neji's presence before he jumped and emitted a tiny squeak. He took a breath before managing to speak. " Yeah." His eyes narrowed a bit, but not at the Hyuuga. " This is Sasuke-teme's doing."
Neji observed him for a while, seeming deep in thought, then gained an expression he couldn't recognize. " You know, Naruto… I recognize that look."
His frown from before deepened significantly. " What are you saying?"
Had such been a part of his repertoire, the Hyuuga would've probably seemed amused. " All I can tell you at this point, is that you're in for a wild ride."
In Tokyo, shrill dial tone of a cell phone woke a person from deep thoughts. The phone call was responded after the tiny apartment's soul inhabitant cleared their throat. " Yeah?"
" Hey, it's Kakashi." With just those words, it was confirmed that something was out of place. " I noticed that you tried to call me today. Is something wrong?"
A sharp inhale through nose could be heard. There was a moment's pause before words came. " I… think I'll be coming to Konoha, for a month or so."
Kakashi's frown could almost be sensed. " What about your studies?"
Another pause, and even sharper intake of breath. " I think I need a little break. Besides, I've been neglecting Sasuke lately."
" In that case welcome home." It didn't take all that much to hear how pleased the silver haired man was. " I can't wait to see the looks upon Sasuke and Yamato's faces when they hear you're coming back – they've missed you."
There was a somewhat wet sound. " I've missed them, too. Just don't tell them before I get there, okay?" The speaker took a moment before going on. " I'll see you in a couple of days."
" See you. And have a safe flight."
The caller wasn't sure if he remembered to utter a word before hanging up.
There was a long moment of extremely tense, shuddering silence before numbers were dialed. Quite soon there was a response. " Dr. Yuuhi? It's Itachi. I just called to tell that I've been thinking about your suggestion…"
TBC, if you will.
A/N: Ah, so Itachi makes his appearance. And it seems there's a lot cooking up…
It seems I'm still in a bit of hurry, so I'll have to get going. But first… PLEASE, DO REVIEW! Right now my life is so hectic that I could really use every single ounce of support I can get. (glances with huge, irresistible eyes)
Until next time! I really hope it won't take THIS long, and that you'll all be there then!
Take care!
To those who'd wish to read more from me after this one…
There's a poll on my profile as to which Naru(fem)Sasu fic I should start to work on next. Feel free to check it out and vote if you will, yeah? (smirks)